Mariana Vassileva

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Mariana Vassileva’s works emanate from her experiences and emotions in her new living environment. Her videos seem timeless and they take us on meditative journeys through space and time, which always begin with the gender, biography and role of the self. With simple but nevertheless symbol-ladden pictures of great beauty, the artist succeeds in transporting such complex themes as fear, escape, orientation and the search for freedom. At the same time, Mariana Vassileva always manages to counteract the seemingly harmlessness of her works on a more subliminal level.

Vassileva’s work “Milkmaid” was inspired by Jan Vermeer’s 1658-60 painting of the same name. Uniting photography, video and sculpture into one medium, the artist draws upon ideas of virtual space and timelessness. The clothing and appearance of the young woman are as pristine as the light that plays upon her, reminiscent of an everlasting sculpture. At the same time however, her posture suggests that she is totally in the present. As the milk flows around her motionless body, Vassileva convolutes ideas of past and present in ways that are so characteristic of her art practice.